Bicyclists, motorists: Can't we all get along on the roads?

Keri Caffrey scoffs at the widely held notion that it is too dangerous for cars and bicyclists to share the jammed roads of Central Florida.

Don't believe her? Ride south with Caffrey down Orange Avenue, through the heart of downtown Orlando. On any given workday, more than 12,500 cars and trucks work their way along the one-way street.

Caffrey, a 43-year-old graphic artist and bike advocate, does not mind the company. In fact, she almost revels in it.

Riding a mountain bike in the far-right lane, she acts almost like a traffic cop, taking up the lane and motioning to cars behind her when it would be good to pass. She offers a friendly wave as they motor by.

She calls the technique "control and release." Her theory: Motorists do not mind cyclists who obey the rules of the road, signal their intentions and are courteous, too.

"It works really, really well," Caffrey said.

But not everyone sees cyclists the same way.

Winter Springs police Chief Kevin Brunelle said his department receives "multiple, multiple citizen complaints" about cyclists riding in large groups in his Seminole County city. The most common criticisms: They run stop signs, even red lights, and inconsiderately take up entire lanes, making it difficult for cars to pass.

The worst time for motorists, Brunelle said, is from 7:15 to 7:45 during weekend mornings. He has told his officers to pull over cyclists when they break the law. From January 2008 through July 21, 2010, 30 traffic citations and 58 written warnings were issued to cyclists, for everything from having no lights at night to not wearing a helmet, records show.

"I hate to do it," Brunelle said, "but if it's going to save a life, I'm going to do it."

Can cyclists and motorists learn to play together?

"I believe it is safe as long as both observe the rules and abide by them. When one side decides to break the rules, both potentially pay a price. Sharing is the key!" Brunelle wrote in an e-mail to the Orlando Sentinel.

Actually, bicyclists have a right to the road, according to state law. And contrary to popular belief, bikes are not supposed to be ridden on sidewalks. Orlando, in fact, prohibits the practice downtown.

Those are some of the rules that Caffrey teaches in the classes she now is offering to cyclists.

Her basic advice to bikers is to make sure that motorists see them. That can be difficult, if not impossible, she said, if the cyclist is a "gutter hugger," which she defines assomeone who sticks solely to bike lanes or the far right of the road.

She considers herself a reformed gutter hugger, saying she used to be afraid of traffic, too. She even ran into a Jeep when it turned left in front of her while she was in a bike lane. She flew over the hood, scraping herself pretty thoroughly and breaking a finger.

That was about the time she decided that riding more toward the middle of the lane was the safest option because motorists were less likely to pass too close or turn into her because she was not in the driver's line of sight.

"I had constant trouble," she said. "When I changed my own behavior, all my problems went away."

Although she continues to use bike lanes, she is not a big fan because she contends many are too close to parked cars, which leaves the cyclist vulnerable to drivers opening their doors in the rider's path. They also limit the amount of space a biker has if an evasive maneuver is needed, she said.

Now, she is spreading her gospel, offering three classes: one on the law, complete with film and graphics; another on riding skills; and a third touring Greater Orlando and how to handle traffic. The classes are $30 apiece, or $75 for all three.

Curtis Michelson, a 44-year-old computer programmer, attended the skills and legal classes recently with his stepdaughter, Anjali, 11. He wants her to be comfortable on the road before letting her ride on her own.

"She's very smart and very thoughtful," Michelson said, "But I want her to understand the laws and how they work."

Anjali is looking for the freedom to bike the half-mile or so from her home to one of her favorite places, the downtown Orlando library: "I want my parents to let me ride by myself," she said.

Angie Ross, a 30-year-old program manager who lives in Winter Park, likes to take her two youngsters for bike rides with her husband and wants to know as much as she can about biking safety. She said Caffrey's classes have given her the confidence to get on the roads more often.

"It's made a huge difference in feeling comfortable," said Ross, who added she sold one of the two family cars because her husband now bikes daily to his teaching job.

Caffrey, who has lived and biked in Central Florida since graduating from Rollins College in 1988, also created the CommuteOrlando.com website for bikers. She often downloads video that she shoots while riding.

The feedback and discussions she engages in online, Caffrey said, has convinced her that cyclists and motorist can live together on the roads. But, she cautions, cyclists have to act like they belong, not as if they borrowing a tiny piece of asphalt.